Weiss Urban Livability Fellows

"China's Grand Plans for Eco-Cities Now Lie Abandoned"

2009-05-04T13:44:00.001-04:00

"The much-touted projects have largely been scrapped."

Weiss alum Andy Sharma wins Impact Award

2009-05-04T13:35:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to Weiss alum Andy Sharma for his 2009 Impact Award (scroll down ~1/5 of the page or search on "Sharma")

Van Jones on Green Jobs

2009-01-13T13:50:00.003-05:00

The annual meeting for the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) was held in Raleigh, NC in November. UNC Chapel Hill is one of almost 900 members of AASHE. The key note speaker for this year's conference was Van Jones, author of The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems. His book was the first environmental book by an African American to reach the New York Times Best Seller List. Here is his speech:

interviewing Weiss associates

2008-12-08T19:43:00.001-05:00

Last meeting we discussed datasources on which we could draw for the Weiss documentation project. Obviously the primary source would be interviews of the Weisses themselves and plans for that are already underway. But another set of sources which might be easy for us to tap, and which also might make for relatively discrete and parallel tasks, is interviews with their associates. I've got leads on 11 current UNC faculty who worked with the Weisses earlier in their careers; 3 of them have pretty much volunteered to be interviewed.

Urban Livability

2008-12-03T13:33:00.002-05:00

I appreciate the post by Kelly on "what is urban livability." When thinking about this fellowship and Charles and Shirley Weiss, I think the one thing I may add--that maybe moves away from "material culture" that Kelly mentioned--is "roses," as in "give me bread, but give me roses, too." This is a famous phrase in labor history that illuminates how livability is not just material stuff, but intellectual stimulation. I believe that one part of urban livability, like the Weisses have suggested, is the opportunity to participate in community, through attending school, borrowing books from a library, visiting museums, and having access to, for example, the opera. In sum, I think that one aspect of urban livability is culture and the access to cultural institutions.

Wind Power and America's Grid

2008-12-02T19:23:00.002-05:00

I recently saw several presentations on the use of wind power in the United States, and more specifically the locations where it is most viable. It is very interesting to see the areas of the country most available to wind power when you put that against our country's current power grid. Some of the areas with the most potential for wind energy production are minimally connected to the national grid.

Although a great alternative to the way we have been doing electrical energy, at the cost of around $1.5 million per turbine, and the added costs of connecting these areas to the national grid in a way possible to transport electricity long distances, wind power becomes more and more expensive. Several national political factors and world energy market factors lead me to believe we will make serious investments into this technology and infrastructure improvements, but to do so will cost billions of dollars.

I am interested in the technology and idea, but disheartened by the lack of resources we have as a nation to pay for this out of pocket. If I think of it as one huge capital improvement project, it makes me feel less bad though.

For more information please check out Wind Powering America.

"What do you mean by Urban Livability?"

2008-11-19T13:04:00.002-05:00

In a conversation with a classmate about the Weiss fellowship, I once again stumbled in explaining urban livability and thought I would attempt to give it another try, hopefully with help from everyone. It seems to me that some grand theory or definition of urban livability could never truly exist, since it is or I believe should be historically, culturally and individually situated within the urban space. However, understanding that we must start somewhere, basic access to health, nutrition, shelter and sanitation programs would be essential to sustaining life in the urban setting. Of course these"essentials" reflect my research interest and can be demonstrated through material culture, so please feel free to add your "essentials" to the list or comment on mine.

Natural Gas Hybrid Vehicles

2008-11-10T14:24:00.002-05:00

This past Friday, November 7, I had the opportunity to attend the Public Administration Conference held at the School of Government. One of our presenters represented the American Public Gas Association. During his presentation, I was fortunate enough to learn about the amount of natural gas reserves in and around the United States, as well as methane hydrates, or frozen methane.

Although not the main point of the presentation, our presenter stated that he viewed natural gas the bridge between fossil and renewable fuels. I don't know if I am comfortable with that statement, but as the United States begins formulating a new and long-term energy policy (I assume), I am interested to see what other experts and individuals think are the bridges to renewable energy sources, and just how long of a bridge will we build out of present fossil fuels.

I have included links to an article on methane hydrates, the American Public Gas Association, and the Public Administration Conference. I would enjoy any feedback or discussion on this topic.

Energy Talk

2008-11-10T13:45:00.002-05:00

Hi all, I thought this might be of interest to those interested in sustainable energy:

The Energy Crisis - How did we get here and where do we go?

When Wed, Nov 19, 4p – 5:30pm

Where: Murphey Hall 116, UNC, Chapel Hill, NC ()

Description: The election results are now in, and we are back to the daunting questions of policy that the new president will face: among them, the energy crisis and the future of the economy in the face of world energy supply and demand. We invite you therefore to a guest lecture and discussion on this issue on November 19 with a particularly knowledgeable speaker. Please save the date, and pass the word to others! (see poster attached) "The Energy Crisis - How did we get here and where do we go?" J. Robinson West Wednesday, November 19, 2008 4:00-5:30 p.m. Murphey Hall 116 Mr. West is founding president of PFC Energy, a global energy consulting firm, and chair of the board of the U.S. Institute of Peace, as well as a former Assistant Secretary of the Interior and UNC alum. His talk is sponsored by the Institute for the Environment, the Department of Public Policy, the Public Policy Majors Union, and The Roosevelt Institution.

MyFarm: distributed urban farming

2008-11-04T15:28:00.003-05:00



http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2008-11-02-myfarm_N.htm
> For time-starved residents, MyFarm is a way to get
> organic produce grown steps from their kitchen without
> having to touch a trowel. For yardless neighbors, it
> lets them effectively buy a share of their neighbors'
> gardens.

> "It's turning grass into productive landscape, and it's
> not only feeding the people who own the grass, but
> feeding other people who want locally raised organic
> food,"

S 15 Nov 08 @ Hyde Hall: CIRA Local Food Systems Initiative

2008-10-26T13:10:00.002-04:00

Unfortunately nothing on the web yet (that I can see, anyway) @ CIRA's page so contact Rebecca Schaffer <rebeccajschaffer@gmail.com> for more information or RSVP.

> Thank you for your interest in an upcoming workshop hosted
> by the CIRA Local Food Systems Initiative. We look forward
> to having you on Saturday, November 15, at UNC-Chapel Hill
> (Hyde Hall).

> Workshop Objectives

> The workshop, titled "Local Democracy, Local Food:
> Building a Collaborative Mandate for Research Food &
> Justice in NC," aims to engage community- and
> university-based researchers and activists in a lively
> discussion about the challenges of researching social
> justice and ecological sustainability in local food
> systems in North Carolina and to collaboratively define a
> research agenda. The event will feature Ken Meter of the
> Crossroads Resource Center in Minnesota as a keynote
> speaker and a range of voices working within the
> local-food and food-justice movements in North Carolina,
> including Nancy Creamer of the Center for Environmental
> Farming Systems, Tony Macias of Student Action with
> Farmworkers, Savi Horne of the Land Loss Prevention
> Project, and Sally Lee of FLO Foods (a UNC-based student
> group). Speakers from NC regions involved in CIRA's
> sustainable development and poverty reduction
> collaboration will address poverty and food access issues.

> This is a workshop-style conference designed to further a
> conversation between sustainable agriculture, community
> activism, and social science research in order to develop
> research questions and measures that could inform and
> enhance community projects especially with regard to food
> justice.

> Logistical Information

> We will begin at 9:30am and conclude at 4:30pm on Saturday
> the 15th. The program will include breakfast, lunch, and a
> light snack. Please email Rebecca Schaffer at
> rebeccajschaffer@gmail.com with any questions and to RSVP
> (seating limited).

> Thanks very much for your interest and we look forward to
> seeing you on Saturday, November 15!

> Sincerely,
> CIRA-UNC Team Planning Committee
> Dorothy Holland
> Sarah Dempsey
> Charles Price
> Alice Brooke Wilson
> Rebecca Schaffer

transportation, geography, development, and history in Durham

2008-10-25T14:26:00.004-04:00


John Schelp Fri Oct 24, 2008 11:36 am ((PDT))
> last night's broadcast of Shooting the Bull [on XDU]
> covered transportation, streets and trolleys in Durham
> (past and future).

> To go to the beginning of the interview, use your
> cursor to move the white ball to 11 mins and 6
> seconds...

> http://www.bullcityrising.com/2008/10/shooting-the-bull-podcast-for-october-23-2008.html

...

> Background

> 1920 map of streets and trolley lines in West Durham...
> http://www.owdna.org/1920map.htm

> Durham's street cars lasted from 1887 until they were
> phased out 1925. Here are excerpts from Durham Sun
> columnist and historian, Wyatt T. Dixon:

> * The history of Durham's street transportation system
>   is an interesting one. It began in 1885 when the
>   Durham Street Railway Company was organized to
>   operate a street railway system, and the mule-drawn
>   cars made their appearance for the first time about
>   two years later... In 1901, the second chapter in the
>   story began with the purchase of the company's
>   franchise by the Durham Traction Company, now a part
>   of the Duke Power system, and the replacement of the
>   lowly mule by electricity... The final chapter began
>   with the demise of the street car for the gasoline
>   driven bus which form of transportation continues
>   today... Of the three forms of transportation, the
>   streetcar was doubtlessly the most popular. (page
>   184)

> * Durham's first street cars were drawn by mules and
>   the car line extended from a point near the present
>   Duke University women's campus [East Campus] down
>   Main Street to Ramseur Street. (page 249)

> * Electric street cars served the people until 1925
>   when they were replaced by buses. The change-over was
>   completed sometime later. (page 271)

> * Durham is said to have been the first city in North
>   Carolina to replace [street cars] with buses. (page
>   29)

> * The bus finally replaced the streetcar. Restricted to
>   its tracks, the streetcars faced competition from the
>   operation of automobiles called "jitneys" which
>   operated in areas not served by streetcars. This was
>   one of the compelling reasons for the change to the
>   bus system. (page 184)

> * When the street car system gave way to the bus tracks
>   were not removed and they remain in some sections as
>   mute reminders of another era in Durham's life. (page
>   249)

> Source: How Times Do Change. Central Carolina
> Publishing Co. Durham. 1987. (Dixon's columns appeared
> from the 1940s until the 1980s.)

Witold Rybczynski on the vicious circle of housing cost

2008-10-22T21:10:00.001-04:00

Affordable housing is obviously key to urban livability, yet, even in the current housing slump, the ratio of median house price to median income continues to rise. Rybczynski's short essay claims

Smaller houses on smaller lots are the logical solution to the problem of affordability, yet density--and less affluent neighbors--are precisely what most communities fear most. In the name of fighting sprawl, local zoning boards enact regulations that either require larger lots or restrict development, or both. These strategies decrease the supply--hence, increase the cost of developable land. Since builders pass the cost of lots on to buyers, they justify the higher land prices by building larger and more expensive houses--McMansions. This produces more community resistance, and calls for yet more restrictive regulations.

portrait of Pittsburgh @ Duke F 24 Oct 08

2008-10-21T17:11:00.002-04:00


http://fvd.aas.duke.edu/screensociety/schedule.php#Kurlander
> Fri Oct 24 Griffith (8:30pm) | Special Events
> My Tale of Two Cities -- with director Carl Kurlander in person! (Q&A to follow.)
> (Carl Kurlander, 2008, 85 min, USA, in English, Color, DVD)

> In the tradition of Super Size Me and Roger & Me, My Tale of Two
> Cities is a poignant and funny film about coming home and how people
> and cities are being challenged to reinvent themselves for a new
> age. St. Elmo's Fire screenwriter, TV writer/producer (Saved By The
> Bell) and Duke alum ('82) Carl Kurlander acted out the fantasy of
> moving back to his hometown of Pittsburgh only to discover that
> coming home again was not so simple-- as it turns out both he and
> his hometown were going through a mid-life crisis. As Pittsburgh is
> the real life home of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood", Kurlander asks
> his neighbors from "Mr. McFeely" (actor David Newell) to Steeler
> great Franco Harris to philanthropist Teresa Heinz Kerry, whether
> this city that built America with its steel, conquered polio, and
> invented everything from aluminum to the Big Mac, can once again
> become "The City of Champions." This fun and heartfelt movie is the
> ultimate comeback story which seems very timely with what is going
> on with much of America these days

> [For more info, see:
> http://www.mytaleoftwocities.com

Dunno if it will mention the "renaissance" of Pittsburgh's air quality problems.

North Carolina's Hog Farms

2008-10-20T19:47:00.005-04:00

Did you know that Duplin county has 2,159,384 hogs and only 52,790 people (US Census, 2006 estimate)? This handy Factory Farm Map shows you how many factories and how many hogs are in each of North Carolina's counties. Among other things, hog farms contribute to antibiotic resistance in humans due to leakage from waste lagoons into groundwater. Hog farms are overwhelmingly concentrated in low-income and African American counties in North Carolina, making hog farming a clear environmental justice issue. For more on hog farming and its implications, check out this article in Rolling Stone, this PBS Video, and (last, but not least) some of the posts on my friend's blog, the Olive Ridley Crawl.

Chapel Hill and Carrboro Annual Joint Transit Forum

2008-10-17T13:15:00.003-04:00


From: pio@townofchapelhill.org >listserv@civicplus.com<
Reply-to: listserv@civicplus.com
Date: Fri, Oct 17, 2008 at 1:00 PM
Subject: Chapel Hill eNews

...

> The Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro will host their Annual Joint
> Transit Forum. Sessions will be held at 5 and 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct.
> 22, at Carrboro Town Hall, 301 W. Main St.

> The transit forum is an opportunity to receive feedback on transit
> services from residents of the Chapel Hill and Carrboro communities
> and users of the Chapel Hill Transit system. Chapel Hill Transit
> welcomes participation and comments from students and employees at
> UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC Hospitals and area residents. Chapel Hill
> Transit Director Steve Spade will respond to questions and share
> updates about the transit system.

> If you are unable to attend the meeting, email your comments to
> chtransit@townofchapelhill.org, write to Chapel Hill Transit, 6900
> Millhouse Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, or fax to (919) 968-2840.

land use <-> politics

2008-10-11T14:16:00.001-04:00


From: Marc Alan Howlett 
Reply-to: Marc Alan Howlett 
To: The dcrp-students mailing list 
Date: Thu, Oct 9, 2008 at 3:27 PM
Subject: [dcrp-students] Oct. 20 brown bag: The Politics of Urban Form
 
> The Politics of Urban Form:
> Density, Voting and Implications for Planning

> Monday, October 20th
> 12:30 to 1:30
> New East, Room 102

> Marc Alan Howlett
> Doctoral Student
> Department of City and Regional Planning

> As the Presidential Election rapidly approaches it is a pertinent
> time to think and talk about the connections between politics and
> planning. This presentation will argue that there is a strong
> relationship between urban form and voting outcomes, with population
> density serving as a general measurement for urban form.

> The talk will address:

> 1) What is the relationship between politics, planning and population density?
> 2) Why planning and policy decisions often contain political ramifications.
> 3) Why efforts to increase population densities are so hotly contested.
> 4) The connections between zoning, land use regulations, the market and politics.

> Please join me for this lunchtime talk and discussion.

one-on-one politics

2008-10-08T20:17:00.002-04:00

There are lotsa ways to influence the liveability of urban areas (wherever they may be :-) One is to help elect your representatives, but too often folks tend to limit their political involvement to election-time. What to do after they're elected?

If you've ever wanted to learn how to better influence the folks who represent you (whether you like it or not) in government, and you think that lobbying is too important to leave to "the lobbyists," UNC Focus the Nation has the event for you.

We are bringing veteran lobbyist Russ Anderson to 307 Dey Hall @ 2pm this Sunday (12 Oct 08) to teach the first of a series of sessions about how to "lobby." Although FTN's focus is on climate change, this is a great opportunity for anyone with a passion for an issue who wants to inform or persuade their local, state, or national representatives. For more information, contact Fern Braun <fbraun@email.unc.edu>. (Or me, but Fern knows more :-)

Carrboro Community Garden Coalition

2008-10-08T14:53:00.002-04:00

Possible volunteer opportunity--Not much planning would be involved. Every Saturday is a workday at the gardens. http://carrborogarden.org

Project Ideas

2008-10-07T01:20:00.003-04:00

I've been searching for other urban livability efforts that relate to our interests. Here are some of the links I've found:

Post Carbon Cities http://postcarboncities.net/node/165
Europe Aid's E-textile toolbox for textile industry http://www.e-textile.org/
Trains reduce urban livability? Washington Policy Center
Next American City - a quarterly magazine dedicated to making cities more livable
An article from Journal of Planning Education and Research on gender and new urbanism
UK Site on urban sustainability and cemeteries at English Heritage
and last but least, the Sustainable Water Resources Roundtable

Environmental Justice and Civil Rights

2008-10-06T22:38:00.002-04:00

The article "Green economy should grow from low-income grassroots" appeared in the Independent Weekly, Sept. 24. Unfortunately the article is not archived or I would provide a link. The reporter Bob Greary attended a recent conference, organized by N.C. NAACP, that brought together a number of environmental groups and social justice organizations to discuss how to assure that, "as federal and state funds are appropriated for 'sustainable energy' projects, they flow to grassroots efforts that produce jobs and community empowerment." Local groups hope to model their organization strategies after Majora Carter's "Sustainable South Bronx" (www.ssbx.org), for which Carter received a MacArther Foundation award. The organizers see their project as building "just" structures from the start, from the bottom-up. Local start-up groups have organized under the title CleanEnergyDurham, and they have a number of programs in place, from trainings and education programs, to activists and organizers who give talks.

Course on Bicycle Planning Next Spring

2008-10-06T19:41:00.003-04:00

Some of you may be interested in this:

The Department of City and Regional Planning is offering a new graduate course in pedestrian and bicycle planning this coming spring. Please forward this course information to your students.

PLAN 799 section 5. Pedestrian and Bicycle Planning, 3 credits (M,W 2-3:15pm)

Community design practices are being reevaluated as we strive towards healthy, mobile, and sustainable cities and regions. Integration of pedestrian and bicycle planning into transportation planning is essential in creating a sustainable system to achieve these goals.Pedestrian and bicycle transportation are influenced by micro-scale elements of the built environment, such
as sidewalks, bicycle lanes, traffic speeds, and roadway crossings, as well as by macro-scale characteristics, such as community-wide pathway systems and regional land use patterns.

Addressing walking and bicycling issues requires the bridging of many disciplines, including urban planning/design, civil engineering, public health, and public administration. This course brings experiences from professionals in many fields (both public and private) and researchers at the local and national level into the classroom to provide a comprehensive overview of best planning practices to support increased walking and bicycling.

Any questions regarding the course can be directed towards:
Dr. Daniel Rodriguez (danrod@email.unc.edu) in the Department of City and Regional Planning or to Laura Sandt (sandt@hsrc.unc.edu) and Carl Sundstrom (sundstrom@hsrc.unc.edu) in UNC's Highway Safety Research Center.

bicycle%20planning%20syllabus.doc

-Annelies

Local Food Systems Collaboration

2008-10-06T13:00:00.000-04:00

The CIRA (Center for Integrating Research and Action) at UNC is working on reestablishing local food systems in three low economic areas in NC as a part of the Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction Collaboration. They are working with various organizations (ministries and food councils) in these areas focusing on different aspects such as economic, environment and social justice, emergency food supply, school lunch quality, etc. They are also planning a conference in November which appears to be focused on creating the social science research agenda for local food systems in NC. I do not foresee us volunteering, but they might offer an informative speaker or we could even contact some of the organizations they are working with. CIRA also has other groups associated with medical anthropology, and archaeology and heritage. They have a website but I don’t know how to post a link.

Project Ideas

2008-10-06T00:13:00.009-04:00

Below is a list of possible charitable organizations we can work with as part of our project/discussion idea. I will not take the time to discuss the different organizations, and this list is not exhaustive. I have provided the website for each organization as well for further research.

Interfaith Council for Social Service - provide shelter and food service for people in need. Do a variety of things to meet goal.

Audobon Society - possible opportunities on environmental action

Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Triangle - no website

A list of organizations seeking volunteers (most longterm), but a possible start to work with lesser known organizations.

Community Service and Self Sufficiency Program - may be an opportunity to see what types of service individuals do according to this requirement.

I would especially look at the list of organizations. It is quite exhaustive and may have some great opportunities that we would not be aware of otherwise.

"Urban Outcasts: A Comparative Sociology of Advanced Marginality"

2008-09-24T11:25:00.003-04:00

I listen a lot. Not much anymore to music, and not much to "talk radio" (except occasionally the Pacifica and NPR varieties), but mostly to (for want of a better term) talks--lectures and presentations--of which there is now a wealth of MP3s on the web. One of the better talks I've found recently (on one of the better aggregators, UChannel) is by Loïc Wacquant, with remarks by Vincenzo Ruggiero and questions from their audience at the RSA. Their presentation focuses on Wacquant's new book "Urban Outcasts: A Comparative Sociology of Advanced Marginality" and his encounters with the South Side of Chicago and the Paris banlieue La Courneuve (et al). Wacquant "attempt[s] to understand the emergence of the new forms of inequality characteristic of the 21st century" and their effects on the urban "precariat" at the bottom of the class, ethnic, and spatial hierarchies. Wacquant and Ruggiero compare and contrast the histories and geographies of the urban American ghetto with the western European banlieue, finding them much not the same, and demolishing the "tale of the underclass" into the bargain. If you can't listen to the whole thing (about an hour), at least try the first 5-10 minutes. (Keep it on your player and listen to the rest when you have time.)